The mother of a young British soldier killed by dissident republicans at Massereene army barracks is in intensive care in hospital in England following a serious car crash.
It is understood that Pamela Brankin, who lives in Birmingham, was driving the car when it crashed into a wall. Her family are maintaining a bedside vigil.
Sources told Sunday World that it's the second car crash heartbroken Pamela has been involved in since her son, 23-year-old Sapper Mark Quinsey, was shot dead outside the Co Antrim army base two years ago.
Quinsey and fellow soldier Patrick Azimkar (21) died in a hail of bullets as they collected food from pizza delivery men outside the barracks in March 2009.
The attack was claimed by the Real IRA but it has since been revealed that recently defected members of the Provisional IRA were also involved.
Pamela (49) has been struggling to cope with her son's murder for some time and friends said they had been deeply worried about her before the accident.
Mark was Pamela's only son. Seven months after the attack, she travelled to Massereene with her daughter Jaime to attend a special service for her son and Patrick Azimkar.
At the commemoration, Pamela received the Queen Elizabeth Cross. She gave the medal to Mark's father, Bill, from whom she is separated. She told her family she couldn't bear to look at it. She also gave away the photograph of Mark, signed by the Queen, that the British Army had given her.
Some relatives of Mark Quinsey have been deeply critical of the army over the lack of security at the base.
Thirty-six hours before the dissident attack, then PSNI Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, warned that the threat against police and soldiers was at its highest level in a decade.
Despite this warning, Massereene wasn't put on high alert. The soldiers from 38 Regiment, who were about to leave Northern Ireland for a tour of duty in Afghanistan, weren't warned of any imminent danger.
Hours before they were to depart for Afghanistan, some went drinking in Antrim and others stayed in the barracks and ordered pizzas oblivious to the risk facing them.
Dissident republicans were lying in wait as the fast food men arrived at the base. Two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of British soldiers standing outside. Some soldiers managed to run back into the barracks.
Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar were killed. Two other soldiers and the two pizza delivery men were wounded. A civilian guard in the barracks' sangar, who was armed with a handgun, didn't return fire.
Two men have been charged with the murders. Leading Lurgan republican, Colin Duffy (43), and Brian Shivers (45) from Maghera, Co Derry, both deny involvement in the attack.
